About the faculty

Reykjavik University School of Business

Dr. Páll Melsted Ríkharðsson is Dean of RU School of Business.

Reykjavik University's School of Business has the mission to create, disseminate and apply knowledge to enhance the
competitiveness and quality of life for individuals, organisations and society,
guided by good ethics, sustainability and responsibility. Combining outstanding
teaching, research excellence, industry relations, great people and ambition,
the School is an internationally accredited school of business. The
student body consists of approximately 600 undergraduates and 300 graduate
students.

About RU School of Business

Undergraduate, graduate, and PhD

At
present, the School offers an EPAS accredited Business Administration (BSc),
Psychology (BSc), Clinical Psychology (MSc), eight different Master's level
degrees on subtopics of business administration, an AMBA accredited MBA
programme and a PhD in business administration as well as in psychology.

International experience

RU business
programmes emphasise an applied approach with a firm academic foundation. Among lecturers are professionals
from affiliated industries. This close collaboration with business and
industry, practical projects and internships give our students a competitive
advantage in the labour market. Furthermore, out of the 120 courses being offered
in our programmes, about a third are being taught by visiting faculty from
well-renowned international universities. The School of Business emphasises
quality of teaching, innovation, international scope and good relations to
students. When students graduate they have a robust theoretical foundation,
specialised skills and competencies as well as a strong sense of initiative.

Dean of the School of Business is Dr. Páll Melsted Ríkharðsson.

Administrative Director is Hrund Steingrímsdóttir.

Further
information about the department can be found by contacting the faculty
members.

Boards and Councils

Dean

The Dean of the School of
Business is appointed by the President of Reykjavik University following the recommendations of a selection
committee. The Dean is responsible for the academic and financial performance
of the School. In addition to being responsible for strategy formulation and implementation,
as well as other matters detailed in the RU Charter, the Dean is responsible
for quality assurance and internal and external reviews. The Dean has the final
decision-making power in matters related to students' rights and
responsibilities.

Faculty
Council

The School of Business Faculty Council
consists of the Dean, chairs of research and programme councils, Programme
Directors and other relevant members appointed by the Dean. The Faculty Council
shall discuss all major matters concerning administration, teaching and
research and shall approve of all amendments to rules and regulations within
the department as well as proposals for new programmes or major programme
revisions.

Programme
Director

The Programme Director for
each programme within School of Business is appointed by the Dean and is
responsible for the daily management of the programme, its development and
quality assurance as well as assigning teachers to courses. The Programme
Director is a member and chair of the Programme Council.

Programme Council

The Programme Council for each
programme within School of Business consists of the Programme Director and two
full-time faculty members appointed by the Dean. The Programme Council ensures
the quality of the study programme and sets its policies. The Programme Council
is responsible for student admissions, development of study material, course
structure, final project arrangements and any irregular student issues that
arise.

Quality
Council

The Quality Council for
each programme within School of Business consists of the Programme Director,
Programme Administrator, three student representatives from the programme
(generally one from each study year). The Council is the forum of discussion
and dialogue between students and programme management and a means to detect
issues and irregularities at an early stage. The Quality Council meets every
fortnight.

Advisory
Board

The Advisory Board for each
programme within School of Business consists of four to five representatives
from the business community in addition to the Programme Director.
Increasingly, these representatives are also RU alumni. The purpose of the
Board is to provide a dialogue between the business community and the programme
management and discuss trends and developments and how they affect the
preparation of students for employment. The Board meets one or two times each
academic year.

The advisory board for the BSc programme in Business Administration and Economics

Baldur
G. Jónsson, Human Resource Manager at Landsbankinn

Jón
Bjarki Gunnarsson, Senior Manager at Deloitte

Jón
Guðni Ómarsson, CFO at Íslandsbanki

Páll
Harðarson, CEO at Kauphöll Íslands

Rósa
Björgvinsdóttir, Director at Landsbréf

Tómas
Michael Reynisson, Analyst at the Central Bank of Iceland

PRME

December the 7th, 2012 Reykjavik University Business School (RUBS) signed up to a participation agreement with the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME).

The PRME initiative is the first organized relationship between the United Nations and management-related academic institutions, business schools, and universities. Launched at the 2007 UN Global Compact Leaders' Summit in Geneva, the Principles provide an engagement framework for academic institutions to advance corporate sustainability and social responsibility through the incorporation of universal values into curricula and research.

To date, over 450 leading business schools and management-related academic institutions from more than 80 countries across the world are signatories of PRME. Reykjavik University Business School is proud to be a part of this ambitious group of business schools that shows that they are willing to take on the role of leaders when it comes to social responsibility and sustainability.

As an institution of higher education involved in the development of current and future managers, Reykjavik University Business School declares, by signing this agreement, its willingness to report on progress related to the implementation of the following principles to all our stakeholders:

1. Purpose - We will develop the capabilities of students to be future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for an inclusive and sustainable global economy.

2. Values - We will incorporate into our academic activities and curricula the values of global social responsibility as portrayed in international initiatives such as the United Nations Global Compact.

4. Research - We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value.

5. Partnership - We will interact with managers of business corporations to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and environmental responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to meeting these challenges.

6. Dialogue - We will facilitate and support dialog and debate among educators, students, businesses, the government, consumers, media, civil society organisations and other interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability.

RUSB second Sharing Information on Progress Report was published in December 2016 and is titled Developing Leaders Who Care. In this report the progress of the implementation of PRME‘s Six Principles are discussed and goals and objectives set for the next couple of years.